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living in his area in whose case he has received information of a malformation
observed at birth.

These children are all under the care of hospitals and their names
are on the Borough's Register of Handicapped Children.
Maternity and Child Health Services - Dental
Every effort has been made during the past year to give maximum
priority to pre-school children. Frequently, children do not receive any
dental treatment until they start school and often at that stage require
a number of extractions. The earlier dental treatment can be started, the
easier it is likely to be. It is essential for the future attitude of
the child to the dentist that the first visit should be as calm as possible
Parents often think that baby teeth do not matter as they will be
replaced eventually by the permanent teeth. Unfortunately, neglected baby
teeth frequently result in pain and the extraction of one or more teeth.
An essential part of the M.C.H. Dental Service is to encourage mothers
and children to accept the need for regular dental treatment from as
early an age as possible,
The filling of baby teeth, far from being a waste of time, is an
important part of preventing pain and infection, of maintaining proper
function, of allowing normal jaw development and of educating the child
to a healthy attitude towards the dentist and towards good oral hygiene.
During the year all day nurseries were dentally inspected as were the
Training Centres and Special Care Units, There was a big increase in the
number of children inspected and treated. It is planned to extend dental
inspections to play groups in future years.
A survey conducted during the year in Hammersmith has shown that at
the age of 4 years 57% of children have some decay, but only 19% have
received any dental treatment. These figures are roughly in line with
the National Statistics and show the enormous amount of untreated dental
decay that exists in the pre-school population.
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